Water-meter.



N. C. COTABISH.

WATER METER.

APPLICATION FILED 0CT.1I, 1915.

l 1 82,354 Patented May 9, 1916.

IN NTO WITNESS VE R W NELSDN C. EUTABISH BY (3m; MW,

A TTORNE Y NELSON 5; COTABISH, or LAKEWOOD, OHIO.

WATER-METER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 1916.

Application filed October 11, 1915. Serial No. 55,184.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NELSON C. COTABISH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lakewood, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Water-Meters, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates .to water meters and the object is to construct the piston-disk of such meters of a material that is insensitive to temperature changes and will retain its shape regardless of the temperature of the water, passing around it.

Referring to the drawings :Figure 1 represents more or less conventionally a typical water meter with certain parts broken away to show the special feature of my invention. Fig. 2 represents a top view of the meter shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a piston-disk shown in the cut-away portion of Fig. 1.

Referring to Fig. 1, a metallic casing 1 is provided with inlet and outlet tubes 2- and 3 for the passage of Water therethrough. A piston disk 5, having two hemispherical bearing members 6, oscillates in a Well known way within the water chamber 7 due to the passage of the water therethrough. A pin 8 is secured to the central part of the upper bearing member 6 and the disk 5 in such a way that it rotates a toothedwheel 9 as the disk oscillates under the propelling action of the water. The rotation of the wheel 9 actuates the registering hands 10 (Fig. 2) by means of a train of appropriate earing and thereby registers the volume 0 Water that has passed through the meter.

The general arrangement of the meter is the same as that commonly used and needs no further explanation.

It has been the universal practice, as far as I am aware to construct the piston-disk 5 of hard rubber or other rubber compound on account of its non-corrodible character. Hard rubber, however, cannot stand the effects of heat and will warp and become otherwise distorted whenever subjected to a material increase of temperature above the normal limit. Inasmuch as water meters are often subjected to the action of hot water through carelessness of the consumer in controlling hot water appliances, there has been frequent trouble from warped piston-disks in the meter. It has been proposed to decrease this difiiculty by mixing graphite with the rubber compound before "ulcanization, with the idea that this would lessen the tendency of the rubber disk to warp when heated. Such proposal, however, has not resulted in material improvement, as the rubber-graphite composition will warp if subjected to water or steam sllghtly above 212. Inasmuch as temperatures in excess of this are frequently atcontain no rubber, as the latter will cause it to warp as in prior disks. When made entirely of carbon the disk is very strong and is absolutely unaffected by temperature changes in the water passing through the meter. Carbon disks are therefore peculiarly suited for the purpose to which I apply them, as they are non-corrodible and entirely unaffected by either hot or cold water.

To make the disk I mix fine carbon flour, such as that obtained from coke or lampblack for example, with suflicient pitch or tar to render it plastic under heat when molded. Ordinarily I mix about to per cent. of carbon flour with 15 to 10 per cent. of powdered pitch, although other proportions may be used, and after thoroughly mixing the two, the conglomerate is placed in a properly shaped mold and submitted to hydraulic pressure to densely compact the same. During this operation the mold is heated by appropriate means to a high enough temperature to soften the hard pitch and cause it to flow and envelop carbon particles. The disk is then removed from the mold and baked in a furnace to a temperature that will set the binder and cause the carbon particles to be rigidly coked together. This temperature will vary depending upon circumstances, but ordinarily will be in the neighborhood of 900 C.

Instead of using pitch as the binder, I

may use tar 0r saccharin solutions, which of carbon particles held together by a coked will carbonize and coke the carbon particles binder. together in the same way as has been de- 2. As an article of manufacture a pistonscribed in reference to the powdered pitch. disk for disk water meters consisting of Having described my invention, what I carbon particles held together by a coked 15 claim is binder.

1. In disk water meters having register- In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my ing mechanism, a meter casing and a pistonsignature. disk in said casing adapted to operate said 13 registering mechanism said disk consisting NELSON C. COTABISH. 

